As a loot-based game,Diablo 4draws heavily upon elements of chance. This approach isn’t perfect, especially in today’s age of live-services and ethically questionable gacha experiences, but it can help make games likeDiablo 4a lot more interesting, leveraging FOMO to spur players forward and further engage with its mechanics.
But this reliance on chance can be somewhat controversial, and a lot of players, especially those who may prefer more structured or single-player RPGs, may find such randomness more annoying than fun. Nowhere is this conflict clearer than inDiablo 4’s various Treasure Goblinswho, as their name suggests, run amok throughout the map carrying sacks of loot. A slew of new Treasure Goblin types were introduced during this Spring’s March of the Goblins event, including Fancy Old Fedric, AKA the purple Treasure Goblin. Fedric drops Mythic items and a Resplendent Spark, making him an appealing target indeed. The only issue is that he is unbelievably rare—potentially one of the rarest NPCs in gaming history—and few players have actually seen him. This rarity can make hunting Fedric difficult, but it’s not the goblin’s biggest issue.
Although new goblins like Fancy Old Fedric were introduced duringthe March of the Goblins event, during which they were more common, they are all permanent additions toDiablo 4.
Diablo 4’s Fancy Old Fedric Is Hard to Spot—Literally
Fancy Old Fedric’s Purple-Ness Makes Him Overly Slippery
Fancy Old Fedric, as previously mentioned, is only part of severalnew Treasure Goblinsadded toDiablo 4this year. The other Goblins, including the purple Curious Murl and blue Gelatinous Syrus, are much more common, and this poses a problem. A player could easily mistake either of these Goblins, but especially Curious Murl, for Fancy Old Fedric, as their hues are remarkably similar. Considering that these Goblins are typically on the move, and have a tendency to show up in mobs of other enemies, this lack of visual distinction is a problem.
Anyone could be forgiven for confusing Curious Murl’s shade of purple for Fancy Old Fedric’s, especially since the latter is so rare; players might not be on constant lookout for him, nor will they have a strong idea of what he looks like firsthand. Remember, Fedric is so rare that most have never seen him, so the overwhelming majority of players probably won’t immediately recognize him even if they do cross his path.
But the problem could be even worse for players hard of sight or colorblind. For these players, the negligible visual differences betweenFedric and a Goblin like Murlconstitute an accessibility issue. Naturally, not every potential accessibility problem can be fixed, but the case of Fancy Old Fedric seems like an especially egregious one, especially since it would be so easy to fix.
How Diablo 4 Can Make Fancy Old Fedric a Bit More Enjoyable
There are a handful of ways thatBlizzard could addressthe color-related problems of Fancy Old Fedric, the most obvious of which being a simple change in color or design. ADiablo 4update could change Fedric’s palette, pattern, or size, or add any number of other visual effects or elements to make him stand out from his “colleagues.”
Alternatively, Blizzard couldmake Fancy Old Fedric less rare. This would make missing him less of a blow, and the demand for attention-to-detail less frustrating. Of course, this would also undermine the community-rooted mythology surrounding the character and the hype around actually discovering him, but discovering him would actually seem feasible. As it stands, a lot of players might write off an encounter with Fedric due to its rarity, or otherwise blow right past him because of his indistinguishability.
Diablo 4
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Diablo® IV is the ultimate action RPG experience with endless evil to slaughter, countless abilities to master, nightmarish dungeons, and legendary loot. Embark on the campaign solo or with friends, meeting memorable characters through beautifully dark settings and a gripping story, or explore an expansive end game and shared world where players can meet in towns to trade, team up to battle world bosses, or descend into PVP zones to test their skills against other players – no lobbies necessary – with cross-play, cross-progression, and couch co-op on Xbox.This is only the beginning for Diablo® IV, with new events, stories, seasons, rewards, and more looming on the horizon.
